The burden of hospitalized incident cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is forecast to increase at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 1.08% from around 714,000 cases in 2023 to 791,000 cases in 2033 in the seven major markets (7MM*), according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Epidemiology Forecast to 2033’, reveals that the increase in MRSA cases is partly attributed to poor infection control and a subsequent increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria across the 7MM, combined with underlying demographic changes in the respective markets.

Initially, MRSA infections were typically acquired in a healthcare environment, however in more recent years community-acquired MRSA infections have predominated. According to GlobalData epidemiologists, there were 552,000 community-acquired hospitalized incident cases of MRSA in 2023, and 162,000 healthcare-acquired cases in the 7MM.

Anna Moody, MRES, Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “Infection control in healthcare settings has vastly improved across the 7MM over the past decade; however, the appropriate adjustment of hygiene practices in community settings lacks consideration for the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, like MRSA. This explains why the number of community-acquired hospitalized incident cases of MRSA is higher than healthcare-acquired cases.”

GlobalData epidemiologists expect that across the 7MM, the community-acquired cases of MRSA will increase to 612,000 by 2033, at an AGR of 1.09%, whilst the healthcare-acquired cases will increase to 179,000 by 2033, at an AGR of 1.05%.

Moody concludes: “As the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases, there should be an improved focus on infection control, both in and out of healthcare settings, and practitioners should avoid inappropriate and over-use of antibiotics where possible.”

*7MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan